Versatile legwear

ABSTRACT

Legwear having a panel  40  that includes a top edge  44,  a bottom edge  46  and side edges  48  and  50  that are located between the top edge and the bottom edge. The side edges  48  and  50  have a curvature such that the side edges are furthest apart adjacent the top edge and the bottom edge and are spaced closest together between the midpoints of the side edges, said curvature aiding in securely maintaining the legwear on the user. The legwear also includes a closure in a first part of the closure  52  is located on the panel adjacent one side edge and the second part of the closure is located on the panel adjacent the other side edge. When the first part of the closure is connected to the second part of the closure, the top edge of the panel  44  defines a first opening and the bottom edge of the panel defines a second opening to accommodate the users limb.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The presently disclosed invention relates to wearing apparel and, more specifically, legwear.

2. Discussion of the Prior Art

As used herein, legwear refers to those garments that surround the lower leg between the foot and the knee. In some cases, legwear has been used to extend the purposes of footwear, such as legwear that engages a boot and extends protection of the footwear above the ankle. Examples are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 888,745; 1,725,597; 1,844,997; 2,155,599; 2,398,802; 6,477,788; 7,428,787; and 8,065,821 and U.S. Patent Publications 2003/0097765; 2010/0186259; 2011/0167538; and 2012/0324765. In other cases, legwear has been used for purposes of fashion to enhance or change an appearance of certain footwear such as high heeled shoes and boots. Examples are shown in U.S. Design Patents D396,740; D505,777; D599,981; D599,982; D643,598; and D668,025 and U.S. Patent Publication 2011/0078919.

A difficulty with such prior art legwear was that it tended to ride up the wearer's leg in the direction away from the shoe. To overcome this problem, the legwear was designed to engage the particular style of footwear with which it was intended to be used or, sometimes, to secure to the user's foot.

In many cases, prior art legwear was intended to coordinate with a particular style or design of footwear. However, there are many types and styles of footwear including shoes, sandals, boot-shoes, flip flops, high heels, ballet flats, stiletto heels, wedges, dance shoes, athletic shoes, team shoes, slippers, and many more. Consequently, legwear that was designed to be connected to coordinating footwear generally would not engage footwear of a different style. Accordingly, such legwear tended to be limited to use with the particular footwear with which it was coordinated.

In other cases, the legwear was limited to footwear of a design that was capable of accommodating the legwear's foot attachment. Therefore, there was a need in the prior art for legwear with versatility such that it could be used with any type of footwear, irrespective of the style, design or structure of the footwear.

Prior art legwear that was worn primarily for fashion also was somewhat limited. For example, legwear that had one design or color could not be easily changed. Legwear that could display more than one design or color would be a preferable fashion option. Still other flexibility such as allowing the legwear to be closed at alternative positions about the leg would afford further fashion options as well as additional functional flexibility.

For these and other reasons, there was a need in the prior art for legwear that could be secured to the users leg independently of any choice of footwear and also legwear that was aesthetically more versatile.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the presently disclosed invention, legwear and methods for making the same are directed to the problem of securing the legwear on the user irrespective of the particular footwear that the user may be wearing. The presently disclosed invention is compatible with any footwear and includes a panel that is shaped to secure the legwear to the user without connection to any footwear or to the user's foot. The panel can be designed for various purposes including as a protective covering, as an insulative covering, and for fashion purposes, either alone or in combination.

The disclosed panel is formed in a pattern having a top edge and having a bottom edge that are located between oppositely disposed side edges. Each side edge of the material pattern defines a concave shape with the spacing between the side edges being greatest at or adjacent to at least one of the top edge and the bottom edge and the spacing between the side edges being the smallest at a position between the midpoint between the top edge and the bottom edge on one side edge and the midpoint between the top edge and the bottom edge on the other side edge. The legwear also includes a closure device having first and second parts with the first part connected to the panel adjacent one side edge and the second part connected to the panel adjacent the opposite side edge, such that at times when the first and second parts of the closure device are connected to each other, the top edge of the panel defines a top opening for the legwear and the bottom edge of the panel defines a bottom opening for the legwear.

Preferably, the two sheets of material have different colors and/or patterns such that one face of the panel presents a first color or pattern and the other face of the panel presents an alternative color or pattern. In this way, the legwear can be worn with either side of the panels exposed as the outside of the legwear making the legwear reversible with alternate patterns and/or colors being exposed.

Other objects and advantages of the presently disclosed invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a description of a presently preferred embodiment thereof proceeds.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A presently disclosed embodiment of the invention is hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a sheet of material having an outer face and an inner face;

FIG. 2 illustrates two sheets of material that are oriented with their respective outer surfaces facing each other;

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate the movement of a closed end of the sheets of material between the open ends of the sheets of material;

FIG. 4 shows two sheets of material that are secured together wherein the closure device is a set of grommets and lacing;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the signature tab that is connected to the panel shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows the panel of FIG. 4 wherein the closure device is a zipper;

FIG. 7 shows the panel of FIG. 4 wherein the side edges are rolled in opposite rotations;

FIGS. 8A and 8B shows the panel of FIG. 4 wherein the side edges further include decorative trim;

FIG. 9 shows the panel of FIG. 6 when secured to a users leg by a grommet and lacing closure;

FIG. 10 shows the panel of FIG. 4 when secured to a users leg by a zipper closure; and

FIGS. 11A, 11B and 11C illustrate the panel of FIG. 4 when secured to a user's leg with the connector being in a front position, a back position and a side position respectively.

DESCRIPTION OF A PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A presently preferred method for making an embodiment of the disclosed invention is shown in FIGS. 1-4. FIG. 1 shows a rectangular sheet of material 10 that can be used in the manufacture of the disclosed legwear. The sheet of material 10 has a top edge 12 and a bottom edge 14 that are located between oppositely disposed side edges 16 and 18. The edges of sheet 10 define an outer face 20 on one side and an inner face 22 on the opposite side.

Preferably, sheet 10 is material that is selected from any of the materials that are composed of woven natural threads, woven synthetic threads, natural fibers, synthetic fibers, animal hides. Examples of such material include leather, suede, faux leather, ultrasuede, cotton, rain-resistant fabrics, and stretchable athletic fabrics. Preferably, for fashion purposes the outer face 20 has a selected color and/or pattern that is aesthetically desireable.

Sheet 10 also shows pattern lines 24 that designate cutting lines for sheet 10. In the manufacture of the disclosed legwear, sheet 10 is cut along lines 24 to form the material in an “hourglass” shape 26 as shown in FIG. 2. In shape 26 the side edges 16 and 18 of the material 10 have been replaced by new side edges 28 and 30. Side edges 28 and 30 define respective concave curvatures between the top edge 12 and the bottom edge 14. The spacing between side edges 28 and 30 is greatest at respective points of side edges 28 and 30 that are located at or adjacent to the top edge 12 or that are located at or adjacent to the bottom edge 14. In some cases, the spacing between the side edges 28 and 30 can be the same at the top edge 12 and the bottom edge 14.

Surprisingly, it has been found that the location of the shortest spacing between the side edges 28 and 30 in combination with the curvature of side edges 28 and 30 is significant in securing the disclosed legwear to the user so as to avoid the legwear riding up or down on the user. Preferably, the spacing between the side edges 28 and 30 is smallest between respective locations on edges 28 and 30 that are the midpoints between top edge 12 and bottom edge 14. In the example of FIG. 2, the spacing between side edges 28 and 30 is smallest between location point 32, which is the midpoint on edge 28 between top edge 12 and bottom edge 14, and location point 34, which is the midpoint on edge 30 between top edge 12 and bottom edge 14. The curvature of side edge 28 is the inverse of the curvature of side edge 30 such that a line 36 tangent to the curvature of side edge 28 at point 32 is parallel to a line 38 that is tangent to the curvature of side edge 30 at point 34.

Importantly, it has been found that a shape wherein the spacing between edges 28 and 30 is least between midpoints 32 and 34 and greatest at points at or adjacent to the top edge 12 and/or the bottom edge 14 wherein the tangent 36 to the curvature of one side edge at the midpoint is parallel to the tangent 38 to the curvature of the other side edge at the midpoint of that side edge tends to support the legwear on the user such that is tends to resist movement longitudinally along the leg of the user. Thus, the shape of the legwear resists the legwear slipping down and from riding up the leg of the user.

In combination with the spacing between side edges 28 and 30, it has also been found that the curvature of the edges 28 and 30 aids in maintaining the legware securely on the user. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4 the curvature of edges 28 and 30 can be described as a continuous curvature having a radius R1 of curvature of approximately 16 inches in the direction from the midpoint of either side edge that is orthogonal to the tangent to the midpoint. The radius of curvature for both side edges 28 and 30 steadily increases with increasing angles from the orthogonal to the tangent to the midpoint of the side edge to a radius of curvature R2 of about 17 inches at angles of plus or minus 30 degrees from the orthogonal to the tangent to the midpoint. In other embodiments, the radius of curvature R1 in the direction from the midpoint of either side edge that is orthogonal to the tangent to the midpoint can be in the range of 15 inches to 17 inches with the radius of curvature R2 at angles of plus or minus 30 degrees from the orthogonal to the tangent to the midpoint in the range of 16 inches to 18 inches.

In accordance with the presently disclosed invention, as particularly shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the legwear can be made to have selected colors and/or patterns on both faces of a panel that is reversible. In this way, the legwear can be worn with either side of the panel facing outwardly such that either side can be exposed as the outside of the legwear. In this way, the legwear affords alternative colors and patterns for fashion purposes. As particularly shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, a panel 40 is made by forming a second shape of material 42 in substantially the same manner as previously described herein with respect to shape 26 except that the outer surface of shape 42 has an alternative color and/or pattern 43 that is different than the color or pattern of the outer surface of the first shape. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the first shape 26 and the second shape 42 are aligned with the outer face 43 a of the first shape opposing the outer face 43 b of the second shape. The shapes 26 and 42 are sized such that edges of the second shape 42 coincide with the respective edges of the first shape 26. Shapes 26 and 42 are then secured together along three sides of their perimeter. Specifically, shapes 26 and 42 are sewn together along the concave side edges 28 and 30 and along either the top 12 or the bottom edge 14.

Next, as illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the top edge 12 or the bottom edge 14 where the shapes 26 and 42 have been sewn together is passed between the opposite end of the shapes that have not been sewn together. This causes the outer face of both shape 26 and 42 to face outwardly so that the panel has alternative colors or patterns on opposite faces thereof in accordance with the colors and/or patterns on the outer face of the shapes 26 and 42. FIG. 4 shows a finished panel in which the top edge or bottom edge that was not sewn closed as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B is sewn together to complete the panel 40 having a top edge 44, a bottom edge 46, and oppositely disposed side edges 48 and 50.

In alternative embodiments where at least one of the shapes 26 or 42 is made of a relatively stiff or bulky material such as leather, the method illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B of turning the partially sewn shapes inside out can be replaced by hemming the lining fabric or reverse material on all four edges and then attaching the two shapes together by sewing or adhesives to construct the panel.

To make the disclosed legwear, the panel 40 is further provided with a closure by which opposite side edges 48 and 50 can be joined together with the panel 40 traveling around the leg of the user. The closure can be any suitable closure such as known in the art including grommets and laces, zippers, hook and loop material, buckels, rings, ties bar slides, buttons and loops, and elastic panels as well as others.

In some embodiments, such closure devices can be selected so as to augment the disclosed legwear's capability for maintaining position on the user's limb without sliding up or down. Such closure devices can enable the user to cinch the disclosed legwear so as to make minor adjustments to improve comfort and fit. Such adjustments further secure the disclosed legwear so as to enable the disclosed legware to accommodate the anatomical range of a large number of users with legwear in a relatively small number of nominal sizes.

In the presently disclosed embodiment of FIG. 4, a grommet and lace type of closure 52 is shown. More particularly, a series of grommets 54 is added to the panel 40 adjacent side edge 48 and a second series of grommets 56 is added to panel 40 adjacent to side edge 50. When the panel is placed around the leg of the user between the knee and the foot, the grommets 54 form a first part of the closure and the grommets 56 that are adjacent side edge 50 form a second part of the closure. When the grommets 54 and 56 are connected by a lace (as shown in FIG. 9) the panel 40 defines an opening along the top edge 44 of said panel 40 and another opening along the bottom edge 46 of said panel so as to accommodate the leg of the wearer. The shape of panel 40 follows the same “hourglass” shape of the shapes 26 and 42 such that the panel secures to the wearer in a manner that maintains the panel 40 without slipping down or riding up.

As also shown in FIG. 4, the legwear includes a tab 58 that is secured to the top edge 44 of the legwear. Tab 58 is convenient for adjusting the position of the legwear by the user and for hanging the legwear when it is not in use. FIG. 5 illustrates that tab 58 can be sewn into the seam between the top edge of the shapes 26 and 42 at the time that they are sewn together to form panel 40. The exact construction of tab 58 can vary in the strength and shape of the material forming tab 58 as well as the manner in which tab 58 can be secured to panel 40. For example, as an alternative to sewing tab 58 into the seam of top edge 44, tab 58 and be secured to panel 40 by an adhesive.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the disclosed legwear in which the closure is a zipper 60. Zipper 60 has a first part 62 that is secured to the panel 40 along side edge 48 and a second part 64 that is secured to panel 40 along side edge 50. In this way, when the first and second parts of zipper 60 are joined together, the top edge 44 of the legwear defines an opening and the bottom edge 46 of the legwear also defines an opening to accommodate the limb of the user. Preferably, the first and second parts of zipper 60 are secured to the panel at the time that the side edges 28 and 30 of shapes 26 and 42 are sewn together.

FIGS. 7, 8A and 8B also show alternative embodiments of the presently disclosed invention. In FIG. 7, the side edges 48 and 50 of the panel 40 are rolled up. As shown in FIG. 7, side edge 48 is rolled in a counterclockwise direction and side edge 50 is rolled in a clockwise direction, This provides a contrasting welt at the seam when the closure draws the side edges together. Preferably, for aesthetic reasons this rolled feature is used in combination with closures other than a zipper. FIGS. 8A and 8B show a panel 40 with decorative trim 66 incorporated therein. Trim 66 includes a lip 68 that is sewn into the seams between the shapes 26 and 42 at the time that those shapes are sewn together to form panel 40.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate the disclosed legwear as displayed during use. FIG. 9 has the grommet and lacing closure as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 10 shows the zipper closure as shown in FIG. 6. For the reversible panel 40, the legwear can be worn with either side of panel 40 being exposed as the outside.

FIGS. 9 and 10 also show that the top of the legwear can be turned down to form a cuff 70 at the top of the legwear. For the reversible panel 40, the outside of the cuff 70 will display the color pattern of the inner pattern of the panel and the rest of the legwear will display the outer pattern of the panel. This offers the additional flexibility of contrasting colors and/or patterns for the legwear.

FIGS. 11A, 11B and 11C illustrate the use of the disclosed legwear with the closure in the front, back and side positions respectively. Preferably, the bottom edge 14 of shapes 26 and 42 and of panel 40 have an outward curvature of a generally constant radius as particularly shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. This shape allows the legwear to be oriented at any angular position about the user's leg. As illustrated in FIGS. 11A, 11B and 11C, in this way the legwear offers still further flexibility in that the closure can be located at any angular position at the discretion of the user and according to their particular tastes and preferences.

As previously described herein, the disclosed legwear is not connected to any footwear. Independence from the footwear allows the legwear to be fully reversible and to be worn in any angular position according to the user's own preferences. The disclosed legwear can be worn directly next to the skin such as with shorts, dresses or skirts. Alternatively, the disclosed legwear can be worn over tights, stockings, leggings, jeans, pants, sweatpants and outerwear. Additionally, the disclosed legwear can be worn over high-top boots. The disclosed legwear has been found to be require relatively little room in luggage so that it is convenient for travel where the user can especially appreciate the versatility of the disclosed legwear.

The presently disclosed invention is not limited by the description of the presently preferred embodiment and is further embodied within the scope of the following claims. 

I claim:
 1. Legwear that covers below the knee and above the foot, said legwear comprising; a panel that includes: a first sheet of material that has a first design; and a second sheet of material that has a second design, said first and second sheets defining a top edge, and a bottom edge that are located between oppositely disposed side edges, each of said side edges defining a concave shape in said sheet with the spacing between the side edges being greatest at corresponding positions adjacent the top edge or the bottom edge and the spacing between the side edges being the smallest at corresponding positions between the midpoint between the top edge and the bottom edge of one side edge and the midpoint between the top edge and the bottom edge of the other side edge where a tangent to the curvature of one side edge is parallel to the tangent to the curvature of the other side edge; and a closure having a first part and second part with said first part being connectable to said second part, said first part of said closure being connected to one of said side edges of said panel and said second part of said closure being connected to the other of said side edges of said panel, wherein at times when the first part of said closure is connected to the second part of said closure the top edge of said panel forms a top opening and the bottom edge of said panel forms a bottom opening.
 2. The legwear of claim 1 wherein the first sheet of material and the second sheet of material are selected from the group comprising woven natural threads, woven synthetic threads, natural fibers, synthetic fibers, animal hides.
 3. The legwear of claim 1 wherein said closure is located at the front of the user's leg at times when the legwear is worn.
 4. The legwear of claim 1 wherein said closure is located at the rear of the user's leg at times when the legwear is worn.
 5. The legwear of claim 1 wherein said closure is located at the side of the user's leg at times when the legwear is worn.
 6. The legwear of claim 1 wherein the top edge of said panel is folded in the direction of said bottom edge to provide a cuff at the top of said legwear.
 7. The legwear of claim 1 wherein said closure is selected from the group comprising laces and grommets, zippers, hook and loop material, buckles, bar slides or rings, buttons and loops, and elastic panels or strips.
 8. Legwear that covers a users leg below the knee and above the foot, said legwear being made by the method comprising: a.) making a panel of material according to the steps of: i.) selecting a first sheet of material having an outer and an inner face; ii.) forming a portion of said first sheet of material into a shape that is defined between a top edge and a bottom edge and that is also defined between oppositely located side edges that are between said top edge and said bottom edge, each of said side edges defining a concave shape for said material, the spacing between said side edges being greatest at the position of at least one of said top edge or said bottom edge, and the spacing between said side edges being the smallest at a position between the midpoint between said top edge and said bottom edge on one side edge and the midpoint between said top edge and said bottom edge on the other side edge where a tangent to the curvature of one side edge is parallel to a tangent to the curvature of the other side edge; iii.) selecting a second sheet of material having an outer and an inner face; iv.) forming a portion of said second sheet of material into a shape that is defined between a top edge and a bottom edge and that is also defined between oppositely located side edges that are between said top edge and said bottom edge, each of said side edges defining a concave shape for said material, the spacing between said side edges being greatest at the position of at least one of said top edge or said bottom edge, and the spacing between said side edges being the smallest at a position between the midpoint between said top edge and said bottom edge on one side edge and the midpoint between said top edge and said bottom edge on the other side edge where a tangent to the curvature of one side edge is parallel to a tangent to the curvature of the other side edge, said second sheet of material being sized such that the edges of the second sheet of material coincide with the respective edges of the first sheet of material; v.) arranging the first and second shapes together with the outer face of the first sheet opposing the outer face of the second sheet; vi.) fastening the two shapes of material together along each of said side edges and along one of said top side or said bottom side; vii.) passing the fastened edge of said top side or said bottom side between the unfastened edges of the other of said top side or said bottom side such that the inner face of the first sheet opposes the inner face of said second sheet; and viii.) securing the other of said top side or said bottom side together; and b.) installing a first part of a closure along one of the side edges of said panel and a second part of said closure along the other of the said edges of said panel such that, at times when the parts of said closure are connected together, the panel defines an opening along the top edge of said panel and another opening along the bottom edge of said panel.
 9. A method for making legwear that covers below the knee and above the foot, said method comprising: a.) making a panel of material according to the steps of: i.) selecting a first sheet of material having an outer and an inner face; ii.) forming the first sheet of material into a shape that is defined between a top edge and a bottom edge and between oppositely located side edges that are between said top edge and said bottom edge, each of said side edges defining a concave shape for said material, the spacing between said side edges being greatest at the position of at least one of said top edge or said bottom edge, and the spacing between said side edges being the smallest at a position between the midpoint between said top edge and said bottom edge on one side edge and the midpoint between said top edge and said bottom edge on the other side edge, where a tangent to the curvature of the one side edge is parallel to a tangent to the curvature of the opposite side edge; iii.) selecting a second sheet of material having an outer and an inner face; iv.) forming the second sheet of material into a shape that is defined between a top edge and a bottom edge and between oppositely located side edges that are between said top edge and said bottom edge, the spacing between said side edges being greatest at the position of at least one of said top edge or said bottom edge, and the spacing between said side edges being the smallest at a position between the midpoint between said top edge and said bottom edge on one side edge and the midpoint between said top edge and said bottom edge on the other side edge where a tangent to the curvature of the one side edge is parallel to a tangent to the curvature of the opposite side edge, said second shape being sized to be equivalent to said first shape such that the top and bottom edges of said first shape coincide with the top and bottom edges of said second shape and the side edges of said first shape coincide with the respective side edges of said second shape; v.) arranging the first and second shapes together with the outer face of the first shape opposing the outer face of the second shape; vi.) fastening the two shapes of material together along each of said side edges and along one of said top edge or said bottom edge; vii.) passing the fastened edge of said top edge or said bottom edge between the unfastened edges of the other of said top edge or said bottom edge such that the inner face of the first sheet opposes the inner face of said second sheet; and viii.) securing the other of said top edges or said bottom edges together; and b.) installing part of a closure along one side edge of said panel and installing a second part of said closure along the other side edge of said panel such that, at times when the parts of said closure are connected together, the panel defines an opening along the top edge of said panel and another opening along the bottom edge of said panel. 